The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization that aims to maintain

international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations and countries,
achieve international cooperation, and serve as a centre for coordinating the actions of
[2] [3]
member states. It is widely recognized as the world's largest international organization.
The UN headquarters is located in New York City, in international territory with certain
privileges extraterritorial to the United States, and has other offices in Geneva, Switzerland;
Nairobi, Kenya; Vienna, Austria; and The Hague, Netherlands; where the International Court
of Justice is headquartered at the Peace Palace.

The UN was established after World War II with the aim of preventing future world wars, and
[4]
succeeded the League of Nations, which was characterized as being ineffective. On 25
April 1945, 50 nations assembled in San Francisco, California, for a conference and
initialized the drafting of the UN Charter, which was adopted on 25 June 1945. The charter
took effect on 24 October 1945, when the UN began operations. The UN's objectives, as
outlined by its charter, include maintaining international peace and security, protecting
human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development, and
[5]
upholding international law. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; as of 2025, it
[6]
has 193 sovereign states, nearly all of the world's recognized sovereign states.

The UN's mission to preserve world peace was complicated in its initial decades due in part
to Cold War tensions that existed between the United States and Soviet Union and their
respective allies. Its mission has included the provision of primarily unarmed military
observers and lightly armed troops charged with primarily monitoring, reporting and
[7]
confidence-building roles. UN membership grew significantly following the widespread
decolonization in the 1960s. Since then, 80 former colonies have gained independence,
[8]
including 11 trust territories that had been monitored by the Trusteeship Council. By the
1970s, the UN's budget for economic and social development programmes vastly exceeded
its spending on peacekeeping. After the end of the Cold War in 1991, the UN shifted and
[7]
expanded its field operations, undertaking a wide variety of complex tasks.

The UN comprises six principal operational organizations: the General Assembly, the
Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, the UN
Secretariat, and the Trusteeship Council, although the Trusteeship Council has been
suspended since 1994.

Peacekeeping and security

The UN, after approval by the Security Council, sends peacekeepers to regions
where armed conflict has recently ceased or paused to enforce the terms of peace
agreements and to discourage combatants from resuming hostilities. Since the UN
does not maintain its own military, peacekeeping forces are voluntarily provided by
member states. These soldiers are sometimes nicknamed "Blue Helmets" because
[147][148]
they wear distinctive blue helmets. Peacekeeping forces as a whole received
[149]
the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988.
Human rights

One of the UN's primary purposes is "promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for
fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion", and member states
pledge to undertake "joint and separate action" to protect these rights.[131][171]

Environment and climate

Beginning with the formation of the UN Environmental Programme (or the UNEP) in 1972, the UN has made
environmental issues a prominent part of its agenda. A lack of success in the first two decades of UN work in
this area led to the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992; which sought to give new impetus to these
efforts.[201] In 1988, the UNEP(United Nations Environment Programme) and the World Meteorological
Organization (or the WMO), another UN organization, established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, which assesses and reports on research on global warming.[202] The UN-sponsored Kyoto Protocol
set legally binding emissions reduction targets for ratifying states.[203]

3. Humanitarian Assistance

The UN provides crucial aid to people affected by natural disasters, wars, and poverty. Organizations like the
World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) assist
millions of displaced persons and those in need of food, shelter, and medical care.

4. Promoting Sustainable Development

Through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN addresses global issues like poverty, hunger,
climate change, and education. These goals aim to create a better world by 2030.

Growth and Development

The UN's mission to preserve world peace was complicated in its initial decades due in part to Cold War
tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies. Its mission has included
the provision of primarily unarmed military observers and lightly armed troops charged with monitoring,
reporting, and confidence-building roles. UN membership grew significantly following the widespread
decolonization in the 1960s. Since then, 80 former colonies have gained independence, including 11 trust
territories that had been monitored by the Trusteeship Council. By the 1970s, the UN's budget for economic
and social development programs vastly exceeded its spending on peacekeeping. After the end of the Cold
War in 1991, the UN shifted and expanded its field operations, undertaking a wide variety of complex tasks.

Upholds international law: The UN helps countries cooperate on international issues.

It provides a forum where sovereign states can come together to share burdens, address common problems, and
seize common opportunities